The University of Wisconsin–Madison Arts Institute (presenter), the Department of Art History (host) and co-sponsors Art Department, Design Studies Department, the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection and the Center for South Asia welcome Meeta Mastani as the Interdisciplinary Artist in Residence for the Fall 2016 semester. Professor Henry Drewal, Department of Art History, is the lead faculty for this residency.
The UW–Madison Arts Institute’s Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program brings innovative artists to campus to teach semester-long, interdepartmental courses and to publicly present their work for campus and community audiences.
Meeta Mastani (Meeta is her preferred and first name) is an internationally known print/dye artist, design specialist and community development advocate. For the last 25 years, she has worked at the intersection of sustainable development, culture, craft, design, arts and retail, helping to generate livelihoods for marginalized individuals and communities. She is the co-founder of Bindaas Unlimited, a sustainable, fair trade textile and craft business. Her work was recently shown in the exhibition “The Fabric of India” at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
During her residency at UW–Madison, Meeta will teach “Tactile Textiles – From 2D to 3D” to give students an opportunity to learn about the art of painting, printing and dyeing in non-toxic colors along with learning about the global artistry of draping and ancient craft traditions in South Asia. Her students and campus collaborators will present an inter-disciplinary installation and performance at the end of the semester. There will also be guest artists speaking at public events and working with students throughout the semester.
Public Events | go.wisc.edu/meeta
All the events are free and take place in Madison, Wisconsin unless noted otherwise. Events are subject to change. Visit website for more details including additional events not listed below.
Wednesday, September 14 | 1:45 – 4:15 p.m.
Food and Color: Creating Images with Henna
Participants will learn how to transform food and henna into political and decorative themes. Supplies will be provided.
Third Floor Terrace, Humanities Building | 455 N. Park St.
Tuesday, September 27 | 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Artist Talk with Sarah K Khan
Public event and screening of Sarah K Khan’s film “Bowing to No One.” Khan, a multi-media artist, will discuss art as a tool of political expression through her character Amrita Simla.
Room L160, Elvehjem Building | 800 University Ave.
Tuesday, October 18 | 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Artist Talk with Lakshmi Narayan Kadambi
Public event and workshop on the history and draping styles of India.
Room L160, Elvehjem Building | 800 University Ave.
Friday, October 21 | 8:30 –10:15 a.m.
Panel “Decay and Resilience in the Indian Arts and Craft Sector with a Focus on Textiles”
Panel includes Meeta Mastani, Lakshmi Narayan Kadambi, Sarah K Khan and Henry Drewal
Annual Conference on South Asia
Madison Concourse Hotel, Parlor 638 | 1 W. Dayton St.
Registration and Fee Required
More information at: southasiaconference.wisc.edu
December Final Event
Details to be announced
Meeta, her students and campus collaborators will present an interdisciplinary installation and performance as a culmination of her residency.
Biographies
Meeta Mastani | bindaasunlimited.com
Meeta Mastani is an internationally known print/dye artist, design specialist and community development advocate. For the last 25 years, Meeta has worked at the intersection of sustainable development, culture, craft, design, arts and retail, helping to generate livelihoods for marginalized individuals and communities.
Since graduating from Delhi University, Meeta has researched and worked intensively in the Indian crafts scene. She works with artisans across India in the areas of printed textiles, weaving, embroidery, folk art, leather work, wood work, pottery and metal work, serving on the boards of several craft and development organizations. Since co-founding Bindaas Unlimited, a sustainable, fair trade textile and craft business, she has focused on re-interpreting traditional craft and art for urban and international markets.
As one of the founders of a craft-centered development initiative, she has lived in rural Rajasthan where she has created contemporary block prints on textiles and T-shirts with ancient printer communities, reviving and expanding the natural dye traditions and creating new designs and techniques. An example of her work was recently displayed at the exhibition “The Fabric of India” at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Sarah K Khan | amritasimla.com
Sarah K Khan is a multimedia artist working in the area of film, photography, textiles and more. She is the creator of ‘Amrita Simla,’ a character that speaks of political and personal narratives, making visible the invisible in a seriously playful and playfully serious way. As part of the residency, Khan will talk of her work and art as a tool of political expression.
Lakshmi Narayan Kadambi
Lakshmi Narayan Kadambi is a researcher, writer and creative interventionist working with Indian textiles and crafts. Through her program Thinkfolk, she connects communities of artists and artisans in South Asia with communities in New England, especially students, teachers and practitioners of art, design and culture. She travels extensively sharing her draping expertise and has been published in “Saris: Tradition and Beyond and Threads and Voices.” For the residency, she will demonstrate and teach the art of draping textiles and talk about the changes in cultural contexts that elicit different responses in draping.
Meghana Jain Singh
Meghana Jain Singh is an Associate Professor at the Indian Institute of Crafts & Design in Jaipur. Trained in multiple skills in design and education domains, she has been part of commercial and grassroots design setups, design colleges, schools and special education, including designing contemporary hand prints for the last ten years. During the residency, she will work with students to facilitate the process of developing a concept into a print.
UW–Madison Arts Institute’s Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program
The University of Wisconsin–Madison Arts Institute has hosted artists in residence since 1995 and formally launched the Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program (IARP) in 1999. The IARP enables the Arts Institute to support extended residencies for the benefit of all arts departments and programs of the UW-Madison through its interdepartmental and interdisciplinary approach. While in residence, artists teach an interdisciplinary course for university credit, present at least one free public event and participate in community outreach activities. The program gives students exposure to working artists, provides course credit and strengthens programmatic ties among individual departments, programs and other campus and community arts entities. The program also provides opportunities for the community to meet and exchange ideas with world-renowned artists. The IARP is made possible by funding from the university’s Office of the Provost.
To learn more, please visit: go.wisc.edu/artsresidency
UW–Madison Arts Institute Overview
As a division of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the Arts Institute is a gateway to the arts at the university. We advance the arts as an invaluable resource to a vital university, and we promote all forms of artistic expression, experience and interpretation as fundamental paths to engaging and understanding our world.
The Institute’s programs and initiatives include, but are not limited to, the Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program, the Madison Early Music Festival, the Wisconsin Film Festival and the Arts on Campus website.
Arts Institute: artsinstitute.wisc.edu
Arts on Campus (includes an arts calendar): arts.wisc.edu
Social Media: @uwmadisonarts (facebook, instagram, pinterest & twitter)